CYP Now - Domestic violence: Children are still at risk, charities warn

Children will continue to be at risk from abusive parents once partners split up unless the Government revises key legislation on domestic violence, children's charities have warned.

The National Children's Bureau and the NSPCC say the needs of children are "invisible" in the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill, which begins its progress through the Commons next week.

They criticised the Home Office, which is sponsoring the Bill, for not including a clause to ensure that contact arrangements guarantee the safety of children, despite supporting the idea recently in a White Paper.

Lisa Payne, of the policy unit at the National Children's Bureau, said: "The most noticeable aspect of the Bill is the relative invisibility of the children under consideration, whether as victims or witnesses of domestic violence, or as victims and witnesses of other types of crime.

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